Tip of the Day #326: Dealing with Cockroaches

If you ever run into problems with cockroaches, try cucumber peelings to exterminate them. It is said the cucumber acts as poison to the roaches!

Tip of the Day #325: Removing Stains on Knives

Stains on knives, however obstinate, will disappear if rubbed with a piece of raw potato.

HOMEMADE BANANA FRUIT LEATHER (NO DEHYDRATOR NEEDED)

  Fruit leather has to be one of the easiest recipes out there and now is the season to do so! Summer is filled with bright and tasty fruits to experiment with and get your kids involved--it's so cheap and ALL NATURAL!
I only had bananas at home, so that is what I tried this time, and I am glad I did because the flavour was AMAZING!

You will need:
4 ripe bananas
1 tbsp of honey (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees F and either grease or place a piece of parchment paper down on a baking sheet.

2. Chop bananas into larger chunks (see photo).

3. Place bananas and honey in blender/food processor and mix very well.

4. Pour mixture right onto baking sheet and spread evenly with a spatula to  cover entire surface. Make sure it is a thin layer and not too thick!

5. Bake for approximately 3 1/2 - 4 hours, depending on how powerful your oven may be. Trust me, the long wait is worth it ;)

6. Remove from oven--once cooled,the leather should be easy to peel from sheet, if not, pp back in for a little longer.

7. Cut into strips (or shapes)--I found scissors or even a pizza cutter to be the most effective!

You and your kids will LOVE this healthy, all natural snack!!

The Effects of Losing our Trees

Please help in keeping our trees where they belong!

Tip of the Day #324: Cleaning your Rings @ Home!

I have been getting the question "what is the best way to clean my rings, especially diamond ones?" a lot lately, and the answer is TOOTHPASTE--but it must be the paste and not the gel. Use a clean, SOFT toothbrush (this will NOT scratch your ring) to lightly scrub. I just bought kids brushes from the Dollar Store. Once the piece is completely covered, take a soft cloth or towel to polish.

General Mills *Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight* Cereal Review

 MY RATING: A  BIG THUMBS UP!

    As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and with my recent lifestyle change of exercising and eating healthier, I decided to sign up for my chance to take the Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal Challenge. Not to mention, I have major stomach problems, and my surgeon had told me it is essential that my fibre intake be drastically increased. However, it has proven difficult for me to find many foods I truly enjoy that are high in fibre.
   
    When my box of cereal arrived in the afternoon, I did not want to wait until the next morning to try it, so both my little guy (2.5 years old) and I chowed down on a bowl--VERY quickly! I can honestly say it was really tasty and I don't know who enjoyed it more, me or my son, which is surprising for a toddler to enjoy a 'healthier' cereal :) Needless to say, this just proves that the flavour is superb, without needing added sugar! 

The cereal consists of whole grain flakes and almond-filled clusters. I've always been a sucker for almonds, and these clusters are like a little treat! I even enjoyed another bowl that evening (yes, I AM one of those people who sometimes enjoys a bowl of cereal for dinner!)
   





Here are some facts about the Almond & Clusters cereal:

• 1 cup amounts to 40% of your daily fibre intake (10g)
• 1 serving (1 cup) consists of your daily-recommended iron intake (great for us anemic individuals)
• 25% of your calcium value with milk 
• packed full of other essential vitamins and minerals

According to diabetes.ca, the benefits of eating fibre are through the roof:

"Combats constipation

• The most undisputed advantage of insoluble fibre is its ability to soften and expand stool volume, speeding up fecal transit and elimination.
• Commercial preparations such as agar (Agarol) and psyllium (Metamucil) are effective stool bulkers.

Improves control

• Soluble fibre from legumes, barley, oats, some fruit and vegetables can help regulate blood sugar swings and by lowering serum cholesterol, protect against heart disease.
• Excess blood fats are possibly reduced by soluble fibres such as pectin, bean and oat gums, and the types in legumes (lentils, chickpeas, navy, pinto or kidney beans).

Heart health

• May improve by diets rich in fibre, through its cholesterol lowering effects.

Possible protection against cancer

• In the bowel, bacteria converts fibre into short chain fatty acids, which provide energy for the body and may help protect against cancer."

    Really, what is there NOT to like about this cereal? I have tried the Fibre 1 bars in the past, but I prefer this cereal over those any day. Furthermore, I have eaten other "clean" cereals in the past, but have found without added sugar to my bowl, they do not have the great flavour. Well, that defeats the purpose of 'healthy' now, doesn't it?
  Again, within this "challenge," I was to eat the cereal for a total of one week every morning for breakfast. I was anxious to experience the results and see if it did in fact help with my intestinal issues. Well, I can tell you by the second afternoon, I was already noticing a difference, and by the end of the week...wait, the box didn't even last the entire week because I ate it all by Day Four! I can honestly say it had done wonders for my digestive tract though!

    Overall, I do recommend anyone and everyone to try a bowl of this tasty goodness! As parents, we know how difficult it is to remember that WE  need to are get our nutrients on a daily basis. Between feeding our little ones, driving them to sports or other activities, completing the normal household chores and getting the kids ready for bed, I admit I have even skipped meals simply because I was "too busy with other things." So, with the Fibre 1 cereal, I take those few minutes every morning to sit with my kids before school and enjoy a bowl, knowing at least I am getting a well-balanced breakfast. If your kiddos enjoy it like mine do, that's an even greater bonus!

Any negatives? Although this cereal is not yet available in your local grocery store, I can only guess that it may have a higher price point than your average cereal. However, that is only a small 'price' to pay for better health.

So, now is the really exciting part for all of you! Get your calendars out because from June 3^rd through 25^th (while supplies last), fans will have the chance to snag one of two coupons redeemable on either July 16^th or July 23^rd, 2013.  To keep yourself informed of these upcoming events, head over and become a fan of the Life Made Delicious Facebook page here. This is also a great page to find out more about eating healthier and is a great resource for quick and family-friendly meals!





* Disclosure – I am participating in the Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal blogger campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Kraft Celebration Tour -- Childhood Memories

                                         CHILDHOOD MOMENTS TO LAST A LIFETIME
   

Childhood memories are some of the most precious moments that are etched in our minds. Whether parents, grandparents or close friends, they have all played a vital role in creating these events.
  
   Thankfully for me, when I look back to when I was a child, I can do nothing but smile. 'Today's Special,' 'Under the Umbrella Tree' and 'Polkadot Door' were my television favourites. I was brought up by two loving parents and I had one older sister; over time, a small Jack Russell Terrier was brought into the mix as well. We lived in a newly built house in Dundas, Ontario (outside Hamilton) and that is where I lived until moving out at 20. Dundas was a smaller, quiet town of about 15,000 people at the time. You knew a lot of people, but it wasn't small enough that everyone knew each others business.

   What I loved most about that new survey I lived in was that many young families with children resided there too; especially one close family across the street. That is where I met my best friend, Stacey, when I was only 2 years old. To this day, we are still friends--which is very rare these days! Vivid memories of our friendship that really stand out are: taking dancing lessons for the majority of our youth, making friendship bracelets and trying to sell them to other kids in the neighbourhood (I must have been a business woman from a young age!), 'Skip-Its' (how many of you remember those dangerous toys?!) and finally, walking our 'babies' in strollers up and down our street. We often still laugh at that last memory because we were about 12 years old and still walking our dolls, trying to keep it a secret because we thought we were "too old to still be doing so."
   There was also so much room to roam and explore around our neighbourhood. This was before any and all open fields were turned into rows of new houses like any area today. We could climb trees to see who got the highest, hunt frogs and run for miles in the wilderness of the Dundas Valley Conservation area 5 minutes from our homes. In the winter, the Conservation Area became the hot spot for tobogganing--the hill there was MASSIVE, however, was always such a pain to climb back up after sledding to the bottom! Lol.

   In Dundas, sports were popular in the evenings for many families. I was very active and on average I engaged in about 4 different sports a year (baseball, basketball, and both dancing and swimming lessons). For a few summers, soccer was also added in there as well. I was so lucky because my Dad coached my teams for the majority of my athletic years, until I became a teenager and found everything "boring" (aka. boys became my interest.) Typical teen I guess you could say! Hehe.

    

    A childhood represents pure innocence, where the world is one large playground to explore. Now that I have grown up and become a parent myself, my goal is to help in creating everlasting memories for my children too.
   Our family has recently moved to Port Dover, Ontario (beach town) and I hope for my little ones that they may be surrounded by happiness, great friends, and good health that will shape the adults they will become.

   So what motivated me to reminisce on my past memories as a child? Well, I am introducing this year's Kraft Celebration Tour!  If you are unfamiliar with this contest, both Kraft Canada and TSN have partnered to recognize the passion and community spirit that brings people together and promotes healthy, active lifestyles from all of Canada.  Since 2009, the Kraft Celebration Tour has helped hundreds of thousands of Canadians in 40 deserving communities with a total of $1 million toward projects such as skateboard parks, youth centres, renovating sports field or boxing facilities to name a few.

Does your town or city need a much needed upgrade? Well here's your chance to nominate your area by submitting a short essay, along with 5 photos to explain why YOUR community should be a part of the Kraft Celebration Tour and deserve $25,000 to put towards these upgrades. Hurry though, because you only have until JUNE 7TH, 2013 to submit your entry through kraftcelebrationtour.ca or tourneedecelebrationkraft.ca. Become involved and up to date via social media on the Kraft Celebration Tour Fan Page or on Twitter by using #KCT or #tourneedecelebrationkraft. Judges will select 20 finalists by June 30th, and then it's in Canada's hands from then on!

Good Luck & HAVE FUN! xx

 

Disclosure – I am participating in the Kraft Celebration Tour Blogger Campaign. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.